Abstract
The Tlemcen region is characterized by very diverse and steep areas exposed to gravity hazards, especially in high and medium mountain areas. Tlemcen National Park was chosen for this study, the main objective of which is to map fragile areas in close relation to reduced vegetation cover due to land-use changes and forest fires. Multi-source data were used to monitor land use/land cover (LULC)patterns in the study area between 1987 and 2017. The methodology is based on an object-oriented classification of the Landsat images, using the K nearest neighbor method for mapping the major LULC classes at the national park level. The results show that LULC is constantly changing in the study area. In 1987, the landscape was made up of (16.5%) oak forests (holm oak, cork oak, zean oak) and Aleppo pine, which then deteriorated following repeated fires in the nineties to barely represent 7.22% of the surface in 1995, followed by a fast forest reclamation, with the forest area doubling in 10 years (13.46% of the area in 2005), and a near stabilization of the forest cover in 2017 with 14.68% of the area. These mutations are mainly due to fluctuations in anthropogenic action. Despite past declines and disturbances, the current forested area in the Tlemcen area represents significant forest capital classified as a national park to be protected and developed.
Highlights
Published: 12 July 2021Mediterranean forests are characterized by a remarkable set of features that make them naturally and aesthetically attractive on the one hand, and very fragile on the other, requiring careful strategies for their conservation and management
Mediterranean forests contain a high level of plant and animal biodiversity, illustrated by a large number of tree species compared to northern forests, and by their relatively high genetic variability due to the survival of many coniferous and deciduous species in the refuges of southern Europe during the ice ages [1]
Old holm oak and cork oak forests have disappeared under the combined action of man and fires, most being of anthropogenic origin
Summary
Mediterranean forests are characterized by a remarkable set of features that make them naturally and aesthetically attractive on the one hand, and very fragile on the other, requiring careful strategies for their conservation and management. An exceptionally wide variation in environmental conditions characterizes Mediterranean countries, where the environment can limit forest growth and succession but can give rise to dense forest ecosystems more often than one might think. Humans have interacted with Mediterranean ecosystems for thousands of years, creating a dynamic relationship with their natural environment. Accidental and man-made forest fires, for example, have been an integral part of the life cycle of Mediterranean ecosystems for thousands of years and will remain so in the future It is not possible to understand the current plant structures of the Mediterranean basin without taking into account anthropogenic activities and past land use and land cover (hereafter LULC).
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